QCI Asset Management Inc. NY raised its holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 252,283 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,563 shares during the period. QCI Asset Management Inc. NY’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $14,398,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ABT. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 45.7% in the second quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 47,589,663 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $2,313,334,000 after acquiring an additional 14,918,038 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 3,373.9% during the second quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 7,874,473 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $382,779,000 after buying an additional 7,647,798 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.6% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 129,786,955 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $6,308,944,000 after buying an additional 3,241,063 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 28.6% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 11,722,088 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $569,830,000 after buying an additional 2,606,404 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 76.1% during the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,557,426 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $221,536,000 after buying an additional 1,969,723 shares during the period. 72.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) opened at $63.20 on Wednesday. Abbott Laboratories has a 52-week low of $42.31 and a 52-week high of $64.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a market capitalization of $111,101.77, a P/E ratio of 25.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.52.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The healthcare product maker reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 1.74%. The firm had revenue of $7.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.65 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 42.3% compared to the same quarter last year. equities analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 2.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 13th will be paid a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 12th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio is 430.79%.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ABT shares. Zacks Investment Research cut Abbott Laboratories from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Evercore ISI started coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $64.00 price objective for the company. ValuEngine raised Abbott Laboratories from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research cut Abbott Laboratories from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $65.47.

In other Abbott Laboratories news, insider Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 28,319 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.92, for a total value of $1,555,279.48. Following the sale, the insider now owns 102,117 shares in the company, valued at $5,608,265.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Stephen R. Fussell sold 56,401 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.61, for a total value of $3,362,063.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 184,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,020,935.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 152,580 shares of company stock worth $9,115,267 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

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Abbott Laboratories Profile

Abbott Laboratories is engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and sale of a range of healthcare products. The Company operates through four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products and Vascular Products. Its Established Pharmaceutical Products include a range of branded generic pharmaceuticals manufactured around the world and marketed and sold outside the United States.